Stem education and gender: A contribution to discussions in Brazil

Abstract

This article presents refl ections on gender equality in secondary education, particularly regarding the inclusion of female youths in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Our empirical source for these refl ections was a review of studies indexed in the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) database. Using the concept of gender as part of the analysis of women’s access to these areas, 55 articles were selected and divided into four groups. Considering that, in recent years, Brazil has launched several initiatives to promote women’s access to exact science programs, learning about research in other countries may contribute to a critical refl ection on how gender inequality may be addressed.